Page 7 - Pakistan Link - May 28, 2021

OPINION MAY 28, 2021 – PAKISTAN LINK – P7

The Man Who Can Bring Peace between Jews and Muslims: The Rambam

n By Dr Akbar Ahmed lims. The disruptions in his life had left the young Maimonides

American University traumatized. He would have a love-hate relationship with Muslims
Washington, DC for most of his life. In spite of this, Maimonides continued to reach
out to the Muslim community and was a revered figure in Muslim

Introduction by Dr Ed Kessler: society. His Muslim name was Abu Imran Musa ibn Maymun ibn
In the following essay, Akbar Ahmed, Ibn Khaldun Chair of Ubayd Allah or Servant of Allah. It is reported that Maimonides’
Islamic Studies at the School of International Service, American children and grandchildren rejected elements of his teaching and

University and authority in Muslim-Jewish dialogue, writes about philosophy and some of them adopted certain Sufi practices.

Moses Maimonides, one of the greatest figures in Jewish history. In outward form, language and culture, Maimonides had ab-
For Jews, ‘from Moses until Moses, there was none like Moses’. For sorbed Muslim civilization. His typical day in the Sultan’s court
Professor Ahmed, he is also a gateway and a bridge: a gateway for was always a full one, after which he hurried home to treat await-

the Jewish people into the understanding of Judaism, and a bridge ing patients. Often, there would not even be time for a meal before

between Muslims, Christians, and Jews. One of the Rambam’s best attending them. His success in society can be gauged from the fact
known saying is to ‘listen to the truth from wherever it comes’, in that his son and grandson both succeeded Maimonides as Chief
which he echoes al-Kindi, the first of the Arab philosophers: ‘we Rabbis of the Egyptian Jewish community.

ought not to be embarrassed of appreciating the truth and of obtain- The life of Maimonides resembles that of the Muslim philos-

ing it wherever it comes from, even if it comes from races distant and ophers. The titles of his books were as sharp as theirs: The Guide

nations different from us. Nothing should be dearer to the seeker of for the Perplexed as against Al-Ghazali’s The Incoherence of the

truth than the truth itself, and there is no deterioration of the truth, Philosophers and Averroes’s The Incoherence of the Incoherence.
nor belittling either of one who speaks it or conveys it.’ His life took him from one part of the world to another; from liv-
ing on the run in a cave at one stage of his life, to serving in the

here are perhaps few figures in Jewish history who can royal court in Cairo at another. In spite of the tumultuous life that
match the stature of the celebrated Rabbi Maimonides he led, he successfully created his most ambitious work and mag-
Twho was also celebrated by Muslims for whom he was num opus, the code of Jewish religious law (or the Halakha) which

Ubayd Allah - a faithful servant of God, a title reserved for is called the Mishneh Torah or “The Repetition of the Torah”, con-
those seen as closest to God. sidered the book of knowledge and its guide and commentary. Just
For a scholar like me searching for a key to unlock the door to as Al-Ghazali was called the “Defender of the Faith”, Maimonides,
peace between Jews and Muslims, Maimonides may well provide on the basis of his learned works, is considered one of the greatest

the answer. Peace would finally bring relief to the long-suffering rabbis of all time.
Palestinians and a sense of security to the Israelis. At the moment, There are notable parallels between the career of Averroes

it appears that Jews and Muslims cannot agree on anything: what the great philosopher of Andalusia and that of Maimonides. Both
is dark to one is light to the other, peace to this were quintessential citizens of Andalusia. Both wrote in Arabic.
side is conflict to the other and a sense of griev- They both used reason and logic in appreciating faith and argued

ance and anger blight their view of each other. for the compatibility of the two. Their books were burned by
The result is the cloud of misery and despair members of their own community. They were exiled by the same

which hangs low over their relationship. dynasty. Averroes never recovered, while Maimonides flourished.
I believe that an introduction of Mai- ticipate in it. Maimonides promoted the work of Averroes among his students.

monides into the conflict between Jews and Mus- With reference to the main philosophic questions that in- Today both are recognized in the ranks of the greatest philoso-
lims would not only establish how close Judaism terested Muslim philosophers and were discussed by them, Mai- phers of history while their critics are lost in obscurity.
and Islam are to each other, but why the relationship between monides believed that the soul and the body, while distinct, are According to Rabbi Mendel Bluming, “In the laws of Kings
them needs to be based in compassion and justice if the words still unified, with the former holding sway over the latter. In his chapter 11 Maimonides praises the Muslims (and Christians)

of the great Rabbi are to be heeded. I cannot imagine any other celebrated work, The Guide for the Perplexed, Maimonides sets whom he says brought the idea of redemption and of adherence

historical figure playing this role at this time in history. As some- forth his views on the creation of the universe, which essentially to G-d’s laws far and wide so that this idea is known to all of

one committed to promoting dialogue and friendship between the reaffirms the traditional Jewish view on creation. Examining such mankind paving the road for the entire world to be aware of and
two communities for decades it is with the sincere hope of finding theories as laid out by Moses, Plato, and Aristotle, Maimonides accept these concepts of serving our Creator.” When I requested

peace between the two that I turn to Maimonides. rejects Aristotle’s argument that the world is eternal, instead Rabbi Mendel Bluming, a passionate admirer of the Rambam,
Maimonides, or the Rambam, a Hebrew acronym for Rabbi championing Moses’ view that the world was created by God out to explain the reference to “Ismailites”, the word used in the
Moses Ben Maimon, was born in Cordoba and was a contempo- of nothing; Maimonides does write that Plato’s view of a world cre- original, he replied, “He is referring to the Prophet Muhammad

rary of Averroes, a fellow Cordoban. After largely living in peace ated with pre-existing matter provides an acceptable alternative. who brought about a worldwide awareness of subservience to

and prosperity for four centuries in what is commonly referred Maimonides was influenced by Aristotle, Al-Farabi, Avi- G-d.”
to as the Golden Age for the Jewish community, the Almohads, cenna and Averroes, a fact he acknowledged. A towering Judaic Studying Maimonides, we note how close Jewish and Muslim

a new dynasty from North Africa, took power in Andalusia and figure, he was also quintessentially a product of the age of the ilm- thought are on some central issues of their faiths: the definition
launched an offensive against the Jewish community, forcing them and position of God, the centrality of Abraham and the impor-

to choose between conversion, migration or death. Synagogues Maimonides is both a gateway and a tance of Moses, the rejection of idolatry, and the need to create a
and Jewish centers were destroyed and Jews found themselves better world where people could live good lives and worship God.

forced to wear special clothing. The father of Maimonides, then a bridge: he is a gateway for the Jewish In his method of teaching, Maimonides underlined the need to
teenager, Rabbi Maimon ben Joseph, a respected elder and judge people into the understanding of avoid getting tangled up in the weeds and to keep the big picture
in the Jewish community, found everything was now disrupted. in mind. For that, he stressed the importance of learning and
The family found itself on the run, first taking shelter at Fez and Judaism, and a bridge between Muslims, knowledge. He is influenced by the Greek-influenced Muslim

later relocating to Palestine and eventually arriving in Cairo. Christians and Jews. He is thus in an philosophers, and Maimonides himself is influenced by Aristo-
Maimonides wrote his celebrated note of consolation, Epistle on tle. Maimonides is constantly balancing theology with practical
Martyrdom, suggesting that those who converted to Islam forcibly extraordinarily relevant position a common sense. He talks to us directly as a great teacher.
should maintain their faith, even if privately. thousand years after his death Maimonides is both a gateway and a bridge: he is a gateway

Maimonides emphasized the role and thought of Abraham, for the Jewish people into the understanding of Judaism, and a
who lived among polytheists but moved strongly towards mono- bridge between Muslims, Christians and Jews. He is thus in an
theism and rejected idolatry. Abraham emphasized monotheism ethos. Like our other great philosophers of that time, Maimonides extraordinarily relevant position a thousand years after his death.

and the belief that God created the universe and embraced all emphasized logic, rationality, knowledge, research, and - above all He is buried in Tiberias in Israel, and his grave on the shores of the
creation. Maimonides championed the concept of “negative the- - piety in his writings. Sea of Galilee is a popular pilgrimage site.
ology”, that is understanding God through what he is not, as the Yet there was also Jewish opposition to his ideas and philo- I give the last word to the late Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks,
best way to attempt to understand the true nature of the divine. sophical approach - for example, Rabbi Solomon of Montpellier in himself one of the greatest Rabbis of our times. Here he describes
God is transcendental, all-knowing and all-powerful, while man France instigated church authorities to burn The Guide as hereti- to me in an interview for my documentary, Journey into Europe,

is made in God’s image and lives to realize that ideal. Maimonides cal. Maimonides’s views on resurrection received criticism from the exchanges between the religions going on at the time as “Con-
also emphasized the distinction between the soul and the intellect, many rabbis and Jewish scholars of his period. In his Treatise on vivencia”, meaning coexistence, a term Spaniards still use to de-
which are pure. He also pointed to the body which is “base” deal- Resurrection (1191), Maimonides argued that the belief in the res- scribe this period in Spanish history:

ing with physical and material matters. Maimonides’ life in Cairo urrection of the dead, those who had been righteous during their “This period of al Andalus and under benign Muslim rule
allowed him to enjoy a relatively secure and stable environment lives, was a fundamental aspect of Judaism, and that, on the issue was one of the most, not only one of the most benign, Convivencia

after his dangerous and turbulent journey from Spain and through of resurrection, Jews should not merely interpret Jewish scripture - living together - but one of the most intellectually and spiritu-
North Africa. as allegorical. ally creative in all of the Middle Ages. What had happened was
Maimonides argued that in order to practice the Jewish faith In his work Maimonides explored the righteous figures of the that you had these extraordinary Muslim scholars who had re-

correctly, you have to first be knowledgeable; you could not be Jewish people’s sacred history. He was inspired by Moses, who he covered the classical tradition of the Aristotelians and Neopla-

ignorant in faith. He took much of Jewish scripture as allegori- saw as being closest to a perfect man, having both revelation and tonists and they were the first people in Europe to do so, they lifted

cal and metaphorical, which other rabbis did not always agree knowledge. But he also admired Aristotle and his writing on ethics Europe out of the Dark Ages. They then had an enormous impact

with. His use of the word “perplexed” in the title of one of his and virtue. Maimonides was providing a theological charter and on figures like Moses Maimonides, the greatest rabbi of the Mid-
most important books refers to the intelligent man who tries to framework for being a good human being, writing for two Jewish dle Ages, whose not only philosophy, but almost every aspect of

understand and find a balance between inherited rabbinical law audiences - the individual but also for the larger community. his work was influenced by and stimulated by Islam. His creation

and the world around him. As a true philosopher, Maimonides There are three distinct phases of Maimonides’s life spent of this magnificent legal code was inspired by Sharia codes. His

first identifies the problem of existence and then illustrates how to alongside and with Muslims: first, the peace and prosperity that formulation of the principles of Jewish faith was inspired by the
move ahead in order to overcome it. Muslim society gave to the Jewish community over the centuries fact that Muslim thinkers had done this wonderful presentation
Maimonides argued that in order to best practice one’s faith, and enjoyed by his family; then the abrupt change of policy of the of Islamic faith. So, it spread from Islam to Judaism. It then spread

knowledge and intelligence are essential while ignorance must be new dynasty of the Almohads and the discrimination and persecu- to Christianity through Maimonides and influenced a figure like

eliminated. It was an argument Socrates used in discussing de- tion of the Jews in which his family suffered; and finally the power Aquinas. So, you have Islam leading Europe out of the Dark Ages.”

mocracy, suggesting that only educated people who understand and success of working as the physician in the court of the great (Ambassador Akbar Ahmed is the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Is-

the ramifications of a democratic form of government should par- Sultan Saladin of Egypt with his inclusive attitudes to non-Mus- lamic Studies at American University in Washington, DC)
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